Aiken, SC – March 2, 2024 – Will Coleman Goes One-Two in 2024 $100,000 Conceal Grand-Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field presented by Taylor, Harris Insurance Services

When he left the startbox as the final competitor of the $100,000 Conceal Grand-Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field presented by Taylor, Harris Insurance Services, Will Coleman only had himself to beat, as he was in the enviable position of having his first ride, Off The Record, in second place as his closest rival.

While “Timmy” nearly took the title for himself, it was stablemate and overnight leader Chin Tonic HS who would cement himself the 2024 victor. Hyperion Stud LLC’s “Chin,” a 2012 Holsteiner Gelding (Chin Champ – Wildera, by Quinar), was the undisputed favorite according to Equiratings’ Prediction Centre with a 19% chance at a win, and he delivered in each and every phase, concluding his first trip to Bruce’s Field with a classy clear round 10 seconds over the optimum time. They finished on a result of 30.5.

“I still had a job to do for Chin, you know, to give him a good ride and be responsible about how I took him around,” said the U.S. World Championship Team Silver Medalist. “And this is something we’re using for preparation for things down the road. I probably backed off a little bit, given the fact that I had a little cushion with the time, but I still wanted to go out there and give him a bit of a strong ride so that I could learn and see how he was thinking.”

While it seemed like Coleman’s first ride, the 2009 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Arkansas VDL – Drumagoland Bay, by Ard Ohio) owned by the Off The Record Syndicate, might find this condensed track challenging with his big, bold step, in practice, he soared around effortlessly with the second fastest round of the day just one second over the optimum time. This quick effort moved him from fifth to second place on a score of 33.2.

Coleman, whose last appearance here was in 2019, chose this event carefully because of its unique format. “I think for everyone this is probably a little outside their comfort zone. It’s 28 fences packed into four minutes. You feel like you’re in a tumble dryer. You have to think fast, and the horses have to react,” he said of the condensed cross country experience. “It was helpful – even just the crowds, and some of the technicality that Mark laid out, I do think that there’s something the horses will take away from it that’s very positive.”

“I do think championships are becoming a bit more like that, and the modern sport is going a little bit more that way,” he continued. “I still really love the five-stars, but this is going to be a part or at least a taste of what the sport might be trending towards. So I was really pleased with both of my guys, and it served its purpose 1,000 percent in coming here. I mean, it’s nice to win as well, but I think even if they hadn’t won, I still feel like I got what I wanted out of coming here.”